Jacob Ogles
Rep. Tommy Gregory grew his reelection campaign to six figures, according to the most recent campaign finance filings.
The Sarasota Republican pulled in $7,100 in new donations in January. That means he’s raised $101,464 toward his bid for a second term, and holds $73,733 in cash on hand.
By comparison, Democratic challenger David Fairey raised $10 in January, and $14,320 to date. He’s also loaned his campaign $4,500, and has $11,664 in cash on hand.
Gregory won his first term in 2018, pulling in 62% of the vote over Democrat Liv Coleman in House District 73.
Fairey jumped into the contest in August. The chief financial officer at Revcontent, he remains the lone Democrat in the race.
Gregory, a Sarasota attorney, faced Republican Melissa Howard in 2018 but she withdrew after an education credentials scandal. This year he enjoys a clear path to the general election.
With neither candidate facing a primary, there’s plenty of time for more resources to accumulate. But for the moment, Gregory remains the dominant force in terms of financial resources.
That’s even as the start of the legislative session limited lawmakers’ fundraising activity in January. Before the start of session, the incumbent collected a number of significant contributions.
Feld Entertainment, based within the district in Palmetto, donated $1,000 to Gregory’s campaign.
He also saw some corporate support from outside the district. Magical Cruise Company, the corporate name for the Disney Cruise Line, donated $1,000 to Gregory. A. Duda & Sons, an Oviedo-based agriculture company, did the same.
Gregory also saw support from some notable political committees.
The Florida Cow PAC, political arm to the Florida Cattleman’s Association, wrote a $1,000 check to his campaign. So did the MagMutual PAC, which is advocating for changes to Florida’s health care regulations.
Nearly all donations to Gregory’s campaign came in Jan. 13, the day before the start of the Legislative Session.
The district includes parts of Manatee and Sarasota counties.
